Client Spotlight – Kiersten: Warrior Princess

It really burns my biscuits (and not just any biscuits – I’m talking Red Lobster Cheddar levels of biscuiticity here!) when I create a program for a gym member only to find out that they’re kinda sorta not really doing the program that I wrote for them at all. That’s right madame, you most certainly did mistake a set goblet squat for 10 sets of tricep kickbacks, but it’s a simple error and I completely understand how you could have gotten the two confused. Needless to say, it’s refreshing to have a client who is excited to train and trusts me enough as a trainer to know that I have their best interest in mind.

Enter Kiersten.

I’ve been training with Kiersten for 4 weeks and in that short amount of time her progress has been nothing short of fantastic. Like many people she is looking to drop a few pounds, but she began  our sessions with the mindset that it takes time to achieve results – a rarity in this day and age where people don’t want results today, but last week. Working with Kiersten has been an absolute joy for me, not only because she has such a positive attitude, but because no matter what is going on in her life outside the gym, she shows up with a bright smile and a willingness to straight up crush it.

I currently train her 3x a week using full body workouts, with a little extra focus on her posterior chain during each session, which ranges from trap bar deadlifts, 45 degree back extensions, and, of course, the illustrious hip thrust. As much as she loves the strength training aspect, I think she gets her jollies by crushing the circuit that concludes each training session. I’ve taken Escalating Density Training, a concept brought to the mainstream by Charles Staley, and applied it to her fat loss circuits. I pretty much just set the clock for 10 minutes and let her cause as much chaos as she can within that time frame. The progression method is simple – each following session she strives to do more work than she did last time within that same 10 minutes.  Since we started incorporating these circuits during week 2, she has improved her performance each and every session.

Here is one of her most least favorite circuits:

• Forward Sled Drag – 50lbs (25 Yards)
• 30 punches on the punching bag
• Medicine Ball Slams – 12lbs (10 reps)
• Jumping Jacks – 20 reps

And would you look at that, no bulk whatsoever. She feels stronger, her clothes fit better, and already she is noticing positive changes in her physique. Whowouldathunkit? Great job, Kiersten!

Photo Credit: Multitrack